JLM to fight for implementation of Delimitation Act in J'khnad

Jamshedpur, Jan 16 (UNI) The newly-floated Jharkhand Lok Morcha (JLM) will launch a concerted movement for implementation of Delimitation Act, but oppose the Panchayat Extension in Scheduled Area(PESA) Act in the state.

Talking to newspersons here, JLM president Shailendra Mahto, who resigned from the BJP after he was denied ticket for the Jamshedpur Lok Sabha byelection, said both NDA and the UPA had pushed the state 30 years back in the past seven years and the people were disenchanted with both alliances.

Mr Mahto, a former MP, said the objective of formation of a new state, carved out of Bihar, was not successful and those, who participated in the Jharkhand movement and sacrificed, were overlooked, while the parties like the BJP and its alliances came to power, taking advantage of the political equation.

'' If the Babulal Marandi and Arjun Munda-led BJP government opens the floodgate of corruption in their six-year regime, the Madhu Koda-led UPA government guided the state to the path of destruction in its one and half year tenure, '' Mr Mahto observed.

He said the JLM, which came to being in November last year, had announced its 17-point political agenda which apart from delimitation and PESA issues, focussed on development, education and implementation of rehabilitation policy.

Mr Mahto said it was unfair to favour the interests of 26 per cent tribals residing in the state overlooking the interests of 74 per cent population and the JLM would knock the door of the Apex court to challenge the Centre's decision to exclude Jharkhand from the purview of delimitation.

To a question, Mr Mahto said his party would keep equi-distance from both NDA and UPA and at the same time would not join hands with those parties, which opposed the UPA and the NDA, and advocating for the formation of a Third Front in Jharkhand.

'' We have decided to adopt go alone policy and at present we have no plan to join the proposed Third Front in the state, '' Mr Mahto asserted.

He also advocated for a non-adivasi Chief Minister in Jharkhand and said, '' The adivasi Chief Ministers begining from Mr Marandi to Mr Koda have failed to deliver and time has come to go for a non-tribal Chief Minister following the footsteps of neighbouring Chhatishgarh. '' Meanwhile, former state vice-president of the BJP (Senior Citizen Cell) Indrajit Singh joined the JLM in presence of Mr Mahto.